


Patroni in Winterfell

by Milarqui



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-07-09 04:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19881811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milarqui/pseuds/Milarqui
Summary: Harry dies at age 150, but as it turns out, the next great adventure is anything but simple. When Death asks Harry, his wife Ginny and his friends Ron and Hermione to help her save a world, they all jump in - finding themselves in Westeros, a few years after the Greyjoy Rebellion - and before Jon Arryn dies. Will the four wizards and witches manage to save Westeros from war and death? Or will they be forced to fight in order to salvage something?





	1. And The New Adventure Begins...

**And The New Adventure Begins...**

Harry, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, feels each of his 160 years of age. He has seen too much, has done a lot, and even at this age, after saving the world (magical Britain at least) he can feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ginny and him had been happy for more thirteen decades before she died of old age - he suspects the only reason he is still alive is because his magical power was a couple of levels above hers. His best friends, Ron and Hermione, who had been his family since he was a scrawny eleven year old, had both died five years ago within a month of each other, Ron first, then Hermione. Harry is surprised he has managed to last this long without his Ginny.

"Are you OK, Dad?" James Sirius, his first son, asks. Even if he is approaching a hundred and forty, Harry still sees in him the little red-haired boy that liked to joke with his siblings and cousins a bit too much.

"How do you think I am?" he weakly replies, smiling as best as he can.

"I don't know," James says, smiling back at him.

He breathed deeply.

"I'm ready to die. It's just like when I faced Voldemort back in 1997. Only, now I know that your mother is waiting for me on the next great adventure. I've had too many adventures in this life." And it showed: he has been Auror, Head Auror, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Minister for Magic for two terms, and even a long stint as Hogwarts Headmaster before leaving the position to his grandniece Emma, who many saw as Hermione's second coming. All of that, on top of everything he had gone through when he was at Hogwarts as a student.

"Lots of adventures for most of us," Lily Luna, the one that reminds him so much of his Ginny, whispers, letting a few tears out. Her own husband, Scorpius Malfoy, had died ten years ago of a heart attack, and Lily had been inconsolable for a long time after that.

"Don't cry, Lily," he says, softly. "I'll be sure to tell Scorpius you still love him, if he doesn't know already."

Lily nods, and he breathes again before closing his eyes. He means to do it just for a second, but when he opens them again, what he sees is completely different.

" **Master,** " the figure in front of him says, bowing its head.

"Come on, that joke became old and thin a century ago," Harry says in a weary tone, while noting that he feels a lot better than he has felt in his last fifty years of life. In fact, he has not felt this well since the day he became eighteen.

The figure pulls back its hood, and reveals a beautiful lady with long white hair and black eyes. In fact, if Harry had not met her so much time before, when he saw her at Minerva McGonagall's burial, he would have said she could have broken a lot of hearts in her youth.

However, Harry knows better. This is Death. Quite the nice gal, actually, if you are not someone that likes to end people's lives before their time. Lucius Malfoy had not been a happy camper when, after dying, his soul got quite the large punishment for everything he did as a Death Eater.

Death smiles.

" **I still believe it is fun. You know how much of a laugh I had at the fact that wizards actually believed I could be controlled. Not to mention that you became the first to control all of my Hallows, even if it didn't happen at the same time.** "

Harry shrugs, looking at his hands and really beginning to enjoy this change.

“Yeah, well, now no one will be able to even try. Even after all of this time, the Stone is still lost in Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest. The Wand has just lost all of its power with my death, as I never was defeated. The Cloak will be well taken care of by Remus and his children." Remus is his first grandson, to whom Harry has bequeathed the Invisibility Cloak that had been in the hands of the Potter family since they married the last of the Peverells. "Now, I'm just ready to begin with the adventure, with my family."

" **Of course. Lord Ronald and Ladies Ginevra and Hermione have been waiting for you most anxiously.** "

Death snaps her fingers, and Harry finds himself in an scenario he has not seen in years: the Burrow's garden, just as it was when he was a teenager. He smiles, and feels his eyes starting to wet, because of the hundreds of good memories that had been created here, in this place.

"Harry!"

He turns, and is immediately tackled by a mass of red hair that then holds his face between her hands and begins to kiss him as if it has not happened in years. Which, to him, is actually what is happening. He holds her tight, reveling on feeling once again her presence, the soul link that had been formed in their wedding, and that had disappeared the moment Ginny gave her last breath.

"Hey, mate, stop snogging my sister!"

"Ronald! Give them some time!"

In the end, he breaks it off, and when he opens his eyes, it is to see her amber-colored eyes. She has always been a beautiful woman, but now, she has recovered the beauty of the day the two of them had married, and he hopes this means he has done the same.

"Ginny," he whispers, almost as if he cannot believe it. "I've missed you so much."

"So did I," she says, and he kisses her again, for a short time, before turning to the two other people in this place.

He hugs Ron and Hermione, his best friends - no, his siblings, for that is what they are, siblings by blood and spell - and again feels another link recover, the one that had bound him to the two of them for so long.

"Missed you guys a lot, too."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione says, almost crying, and she kisses him on the cheek while Ron kept an arm around his shoulders.

It is a few minutes later that the four of them manage to calm down again, and it is then when Death makes her presence known.

" **There was something I wanted to discuss with the four of you,** " Death says, catching their attention. " **Something I feel bears much importance, and that I hope you will help me solve.** "

"We are listening," Hermione replies.

" **Good. Now, normally, the four of you would, by now, be already on your way to the next phase of this afterlife, to meet with everyone and just... continue to exist in there. However, I would like to ask you for a favor. One that, I fear, might not be of your taste, but there is one world that is near to collapse, and the four of you, by being there, would be able to prevent things from going pear-shaped, or at least cushion the hit with your abilities.** "

 _Damn_ , Harry thinks. _Stupid saving-people-thing_ , as Hermione must be thinking now.

"What is it, exactly?" he asks, in spite of himself.

" **There is a world, a world where summers and winters last for years, ruled on one side by an increasingly unstable monarchy, and on the other by a multitude of cities and barbarian tribes that practice slavery. A world where magic died centuries ago, and where it is slowly returning, and with it are returning the dragons, and evil beings that will do anything to bury everything under an eternal winter, a long night. Where honorable and good people die, and the cruel and evil survive.**

" **I cannot force you to do anything, you know. Whether you choose to do this, or not, it will not matter. But I know that, without your help, that world will suffer like nothing else has.** "

"Is this normal? I mean, moving people to other worlds after they die?" Ginny asks.

Death rolls her eyes.

" **Please. You can't believe how many times I've had to do this. Too many worlds have been lost because of idiocy, other supernatural influences or simply because of natural accidents, and for each of them I've had to find the perfect person for the job. I've actually worked a couple of times with other Harry Potters. One, I sent to a galaxy far, far away with his Ginevra, another I had to send to the past of another Harry Potter, and another traveled to the future with his yous," she said, pointing at Ginny, Ron and Hermione, "to stop a tyrant from causing the complete death of magic. I've also recently sent a military contractor and a peace corps hippy to a world that runs parallel to the one I wish to send you to.** "

Hearing that there are more than one of himself around is quite the disturbing idea. It feels very weird, knowing that other people that are pretty much him are being sent to other worlds to save them. Fortunately, Hermione interjects before he can go mad over the whole situation.

"Ooh, the theory of the multiverse, right?"

" **Ten points for Gryffindor, Mrs Granger,** " Death replies, smiling. " **Now, here is my offer. When you arrive to this world, you will have eleven year old bodies, so I am sorry to say that you will have no sex for at least three to five years. Each of you will get one wand that is perfectly attuned to you, one book that you will need, and all of your memories from this world, but you will be unable to tell anyone about where you come from. You may be able to tell people that you are there to help protect the world, but I suggest you keep it secret, and only tell people you really can trust. I will tell you the basics about the world you will arrive to, which will happen a few years before the crisis starts, ample time to establish yourselves and begin working. The people you will initially make contact with are quite accepting of strangers like you, and they will be willing to help you to better understand things. It should take a couple of years, and once that happens you should travel north, which is the place where you will need to be at the beginning. The family that rules in there is a favourite of mine, one that holds honour in the highest degree, although unfortunately that means they tend to go too soon.** "

"Can we..." Harry says, but Death waves at him.

" **You literally have all the time of the world. No rush. I'll go around and continue doing my job while you pick a choice.** " Death vanishes, and he turns to his friends.

"What do you think?"

Hermione bites her lower lip and looks up.

"I really looked forward to a peaceful life, but knowing I could make a change, save more people... must be that I've caught the saving-people-thing from you, Harry. And I know you won't be able to stay here, either. You'll need someone that can help you with the hard-thinking tasks."

He grins: she knows him too well.

"Of course I'm going!" Ron exclaims. "You told us, how much ago? You told us a hundred and thirty years ago that we still had the time to turn back, and we never did. Yeah, well, OK, I left you two in the middle of the hunt, but I returned. I'm not going to make that mistake again, though. I'm going with the two of you. If only to prevent some guy from getting his hands on Hermione."

Hermione rolls her eyes, but she smiles as Ron pulls her into his arms. Harry turns to Ginny, the only woman he has loved in his life.

"And you, Gin?" he asks, softly.

"I let you go once when I was fifteen, Harry Potter," she replies. "I'll be damned if I do that again, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he replies, kissing her, and then he feels a ripple.

" **Wow, that was fast,** " Death says. " **I really expected you four to take a couple of hours, at least, to make the choice.** "

"Well, it wasn't that difficult to make," Harry replies.

" **So, what's the choice?** "

"We are going to this world. To save people. Again."

Death smiles.

" **I had hoped you'd make that choice. Thank you.** "


	2. A lesson in Planetosi history

**A lesson in Planetosi history**

Suddenly, a light flashes before his eyes, and when it recedes, Harry realized that he is sitting down on a bench, behind a table, much like at Hogwarts. Ginny is at his left, and Ron and Hermione to his right, and all of them are dressing robes similar to the ones that had been the norm when Harry was Headmaster. Death stands in front of them, and there, on the wall in front of them, is a model of mundane trivision - 3D television - that had been the rage during the 2070s.

" **Sorry for this, but I figured out that it would be better if we actually turned this into a class,** " Death says, although Harry can tell she is not sorry at all for it, mostly because of her smile.

"Save it, Death. I know you well enough."

Death grins, and the trivision comes to life.

" **Well, let's begin. This,** " she says, pointing at the trivision, which is showing four masses of land from above, as if they are being seen from space, " **is the place you are going to go. The eastern continent is called Essos, which was once dominated by a large empire called the Valyrian Empire, but it later broke down in several Free Cities, nearly all of which practice slavery at large scale. The only city that does not do so is Braavos, famous for being home to the Iron Bank, which loans money to other nations, its courtesans, and the Faceless Men, who are a group of assassins capable of disguising themselves using very lifelike masks. The plains in the north form what is called the Dothraki Sea, populated by the Dothraki, nomadic warlike people that use horses to travel around the Sea. This place will be somewhat important later, and the other two places are not important at all, so we will concentrate on the other continent.**

" **Westeros. It is home to the Seven Kingdoms, which are the North, the Iron Islands, the Riverlands, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Crownlands, the Reach, the Stormlands and Dorne.** "

"That's nine, not seven," Hermione points out.

" **Yeah, well, the Riverlands never were an independent kingdom, and the Crownlands were not formed until the Seven Kingdoms were created. That happened nearly three hundred years before the moment in which you will arrive. The Seven Kingdoms were formed after Aegon Targaryen the Conqueror arrived to Westeros with his wives Visenya and Rhaenys, who were also his sisters, riding their three dragons.** "

"Ew," Ron says. For him, the idea of marrying his sister is disgusting. Harry is also reminded of the fate that could have befallen Merope Gaunt had she not eloped with Tom Riddle Senior after drugging him with a love potion.

" **I know, I know. You won't believe the troubles that family caused. They married too much into their own family, enough that the people there actually said that, whenever a Targaryen was born, the gods would throw a coin in the air to pick whether that Targaryen would be brilliant or mad.** " Death shook her head. " **Anyway, about twelve years ago, the king was Aerys II, who had once showed promise, but in his later years he turned mad and paranoid. Things could have gone normal, but then his eldest son and heir, Rhaegar, kidnapped Lyanna Stark with the purpose of having a child with her, but Rhaegar was already married to Elia Martell of Dorne, with whom he had two children already, and Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon.**

" **Lyanna's eldest brother, Brandon, rode to King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, to face Rhaegar for what he had done, but Aerys arrested him and his companions, and called their parents to King's Landing. Then, he proceeded to kill them all, because he believed they were involved in some sort of conspiracy against him. Then, he told Jon Arryn, the Lord of the Vale, to kill his wards, Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon.** "

From there, Death spins the tale of how Jon Arryn started what would be known as Robert's Rebellion, which ended up with Mad Aerys dead at the hands of Jaime Lannister, to prevent the King from burning the city of King's Landing with wildfire, the death of Rhaegar's wife and eldest children, as well as that of Lyanna Stark as she gave birth, and finally Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen escaping to Essos while Robert became the new King of Westeros. All of it is intersped with questions from Hermione (mostly) and Harry, while Ron and Ginny add a few comments here and there.

" **Robert has been the king for eleven years already, and has three children with his wife, Cersei Lannister, although unfortunately he has changed for the worst. He spends most of his time sleeping with prostitutes, drinking alcohol and basically being an idiot. If it were not for the Hand of the King - his Prime Minister, so to speak - the Seven Kingdoms would be in complete ruin already. And if he had paid more attention to his wife... well, I'd better not say anything, lest you disrupt things too much. Anyway, each region is ruled by a Lord Paramount, save for the Crownlands, which are directly ruled by the King.** "

She explains a bit about each of the Houses, ending with the North and the Stark family.

" **Your destination is The Neck, in the south of The North. It is inhabited by a people called the crannogmen, who are led by Howland of the House Reed, one of Lord Stark's best friends and the only other person that knows the truth about Lyanna Stark's death. Lord Reed will know that you will arrive soon, somewhere near their main town, and will teach you more about Westeros, as well as how to use some weapons, before you go to Winterfell. Once there... well, let's hope that you manage to do what I want you to do. I won't be able to contact you after you arrive to Westeros, but you might be able to see me from time to time. Now, I am sure that you have missed each other a lot, so I'm going to give you some time alone to do whatever you want for a few hours before I return and begin the process of sending you into Westeros. Have fun!** "  
  
Death disappears, and the four of them are returned to the Burrow look-alike.

"Wow. How much time did we spend in there?" Ron asks.

"Don't know. Hours? Guess we should be thankful that we are not in 'here', really. We would have been really tired," Hermione suggests.

"I don't know you, but I intend to make the most of this time," Ginny says, grabbing Harry's hand. "See you later, guys, I want to be alone with Harry."

Ginny pulls Harry's hand, and the two of them leave to find themselves a hidden place where they will not be seen. Ron looks to be mildly nauseated, but Hermione takes his hand as well and leads him away, probably thinking of doing the same thing as Ginny is planning to do.


	3. Biting into the Neck of the matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron are finally ready to go to Westeros...

**Biting into the Neck of the matter**

" **So, I hope that you had a good few hours?** " Death asks the four of them. They nod, all of them with slightly vacant smiles from the pleasure they have reached. " **That's good. Better save that one in your minds, because it'll be the last you'll get for several years. Now, a few things before you leave. First, English is not the local language there, and the written form is rune-like, so I'll implant the knowledge of the language in your minds.** " She waves her hands, and suddenly Harry realizes he actually knows another language. " **There. You can use English if you want to keep things private. Is there any question you have?** "

"I have one. Can you warn us about any problems we could find?" Hermione asks.

" **In first place, listen closely to Lord Reed and his people when they speak about the dangers of the swamps in the Neck. Also, most noblemen in Westeros tend to look down on the crannogmen, but Lord Stark is not one of them. Beware of the noble families in the south, particularly the Lannisters, the Tyrells and the Martells. Lord Lannister, in particular, is shrewd and very dangerous, and will not hesitate to destroy anyone that presents a particular danger to his family.** "

"Anything else of importance?" Ron asks.

" **If you have the occasion, visit the Wall. It will be really cold, but it is completely worth it. Now, are you ready?** "

"Yeah," Harry says.

" **Good. Good luck, and I hope you will do everything you are meant to.** "

Death waves her hands again, and everything goes white.

~~~~PiW~~~~PiW~~~~

_The amber horse, the green stag, the brown otter, the blue dog. They save the wolf from the damage others would do._

That was what one of the greenseers told him last night. Of course, the problem with their prophecies is that they nearly never are easy to understand, because they tend to be a riddle that normally is not solved until the point where it all happens is passed. But, still, there are some things that are clear.

The wolf is probably a reference to the Stark family, whose symbol is a direwolf. But the problem is to identify who the others were. The stag could be the Baratheons, but, who could be the other animals? There are some houses that have the horse or the dog as part of their coat of arms, but none, to his knowledge, has an otter. Perhaps a small family in the Riverlands might, but he is not sure of how, exactly, those houses would work together, not to mention just to help the Starks.

Maybe it is not the noble houses, but certain people? People that can be identified with those animals? But then, what could the colors mean?

His musings are interrupted when he hears someone speaking. It is a young voice, belonging to a girl if he is not mistaken, but it is not a girl he can recognise, something that surprises him, because he knows every girl in the crannogs around Greywater Watch, and it sounds like none of them.

"My Lord?" one of his bodyguards asks.

"Follow me," Howland Reed say, walking towards the voice. Voices, now, as two boys and another girl also speak up, in some language he does not understand. Soon, the group reaches a small clearing in the forest, slightly above the nearby swamps, and they see in the center four children talking as they sit around a fire. One of them, a boy with hair red like fire, raises his eyes and says something, apparently prompting the others to stand up as well.

"Who are you? And how did you arrive here?"

"Are you... Lord Howland Reed?" the other boy, with hair black like a crow's wing, asks.

"Aye, that I am. Who are you, that you know my name, in spite of me not knowing yours?"

"I am Harry Potter, and these are my friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, and my betrothed Ginevra Weasley. We came here because we were told we should look for you."

Howland Reed knows that they were being truthful, but, still, there are many questions that have yet to be answered.

"And would you mind telling me how, exactly, you managed to reach this place? You have no mud in your clothes nor in your shoes. Your backpacks are too small to carry all the supplies you would need to reach this place. At least half of your group does not look like they come from any place in the North. And you have probably not even celebrated your three and ten namedays, so I doubt very much you know the pathways that would allow you to reach this place. You will understand if all of this makes me feel apprehensive about you."

"That one... well, that one is harder to explain," the black-haired boy - Harry - says, sheepishly. "We just woke up here a couple of hours ago, and we don't know how we arrived."

Slowly, Howland Reed approaches the four young people, and is able to see the children's eyes. Young Harry has eyes green like a tree's leaves, but far more intense than one would expect in a boy his age.

_Green?_ Howland thinks, remembering what the greenseer had said, and he looks at the other children, curious. The brown-haired girl's eyes are brown, and the two red-haired children have amber (the girl) and blue (the boy) eyes.

It may be just a coincidence, of course. But he had learned long ago that greenseers are never wrong, and that coincidences do not exist around them. He resolves to bring the children with him to Greywater Watch. Mayhaps it will help to learn what exactly has brought these four children to his land.

"Perhaps it would be better if we follow this conversation on a more comfortable place. Follow me, please. We'll share our bread and salt with you, and then we shall speak."

"You have our thanks, Lord Reed," the girl that has been identified as Hermione says, smiling.

And then, the group that had come out of Greywater Watch, now slightly bigger, returns to the crannog, where many hope to have some answers to their questions, and others hope to get answers to better ascertain their next move.


	4. In Greywater Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving to Greywater Watch, wizards and witches find allies...

**In Greywater Watch**

Harry cannot help but be amazed at what he is looking at. Back at home, wizards were able to do many great things with magic, but they had the problem that, even as they were slowly brought into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, they nearly always were missing this spark of originality that could be easily found in the Muggle world. He had once visited Venice, and had been quite surprised at the many ways they used to hold up the buildings that threatened to be swallowed up by the rising seas.

That holds nothing on this city - a crannog, it is called. Greywater Watch is its name, and it is the capital of the region known as The Neck. Greywater Watch sits on an island, but not a natural one, but one obviously made by the hand of man from vines and wood. The structure is so sturdy, it can even hold an entire castle made of stone. Sure, the castle is not very big, but it is impressive nonetheless, particularly when combined with the fact that the island actually moves around. That make the island almost impossible to find, unless you are one of the crannogmen and know how to move aysround the swamps.

The four of them are soon led into the castle, which is not large by any means, particularly when you compare it to Hogwarts, but it is a great castle still, big enough for someone considered to be the lord of the region, and soon they are sharing bread and salt (just a pinch, of course) with Lord Howland Reed, who is maybe a foot taller than Ron, and led into the room Lord Reed uses for his meetings with other lords when they come here.

"Please, leave us alone," Lord Reed tells his two bodyguards.

"My Lord, I do not think..." one of the guards says, clearly feeling conflicted over the idea of leaving Lord Reed alone with some strangers, even if they are just children, something Harry can understand.

"Do not worry, Theo. I barely think that any of these children are here to kill me. You aren't, right?" Lord Reed says, smiling as he looks at them.

"No," Hermione replies, as if it is completely obvious.

"See? Completely safe. I think these children have some important things to tell me, and it might be better if we are alone for this meeting."

The men are wary, but acquiesce by their lord's orders, leaving the small room before closing the door. Harry supposes they will be waiting outside, just in case something happens.

"Now, I think we do have a long conversation to go with, but first, I must ask you something important. Do stags, horses, dogs and otters have any meaning to the four of you?"

Harry looks at the others, who look back at him, all of them obviously surprised. Those are the form of their Patroni, the magical guards used against Dementors back in their world. It clearly is not a coincidence that he has mentioned those four animals.

"Yes, they do," he answers.

"Good. Now, if you would be kind, please explain how you came to appear in the middle of the Neck without having any signal of you going across the swamps. It must be indeed an interesting story."

"You do it, Harry, you are better at this," Ginny says, squeezing his hand.

"OK." Harry directs his gaze at Lord Reed. "The four of us come from a place where magic exists, and many people can use it to do things that would be next to impossible to do for people without that ability. The four of us can use magic, have been for many years."

"How's that? Particularly given your ages. Not to mention, it still does not answer how you arrived here."

"From my point of view, I died less than a day ago, at the age of one hundred and sixty. I met with my friends in the afterlife, and then Death told us we had to come here, because there was a great threat against the people in this world. She dropped us where you found us after telling us you would know about us."

Lord Reed raises one of his dark brown eyebrows.

"A rather fancy tale, indeed. And, in spite of that, I can accept it as the truth. I doubt that any child would be able to put together such a story. I am wondering about this magic you say you can do. Could you, perhaps, show me some magic?"

Harry smiles. He pulls out his wand and concentrates on one happy memory: his wedding with Ginny. Even 141 years later, even after the birth of all of his descendants, it is still his happiest memory ever.

" _Expecto Patronum_ ," he whispers as the feeling of magic coursing through his veins towards his right hand fills him. He waits as the silver vapor started to form into Prongs, what has saved him too many times to count...

But it does not. The only thing that comes out is the vapor, without form, much like it had been back when Remus Lupin started to teach him the spell.

"What happened?" Hermione asks.

"I... I don't know," Harry replies, stunned.

"I am guessing, by your tone, that this is not the effect you expected, even if it proves your point," Lord Reed says, impressed with what he had seen.

"Yes. It was supposed to become a silver stag. It is a Patronus, a magical guardian used to protect yourself against certain magical beings."

"Well, I now understand what the greenseer meant."

"Greenseer?" Ron asks.

"They are people who can see the future through their dreams, but the dreams tend to be full of symbolic images," Lord Reed explains. "To the best of my knowledge, a greenseer has never been mistaken in his dreams. This is why I knew about the animals I asked you about before, as a greenseer saw them last night."

"Oh," Hermione says. She has never been too accepting of the idea of prophecies, following Minerva's opinion that it was an unreliable field of magic, and that was even after she knew that the Prophecy pertaining to Harry was actually spot on.

"Now, from what the greenseer dreamed, I know that there is a threat against the Starks, and as a bannerman and personal friend to Lord Stark, it is one of my vows to help and protect him. Anything you know about this threat would certainly be welcome."

"We know little about the actual threat," Harry admits. "We do know that it is something that could kill most of the Stark family and put all of Westeros, perhaps the full world, in grave danger. We were told that we should remain here for a year or two, learning about the world and the use of weapons, before going to Winterfell."

Lord Reed nods.

"I see. Then, I shall be honored to aid you in your task. There are few among my people that are good in the use of swords, as we find little use for them when it is more useful to use other weapons such as the lance or the bow, but they will be able to teach you what they can."

"You have our thanks, then, Lord Reed."

"Come, then. I will ask if we have free rooms where you can stay, though I am sure there must be. We will later make plans for the training."

~~~~PiW~~~~PiW~~~~

"Why didn't your Patronus work, Harry?" Ron asks, as the night begins to fall over . "I mean, you have controlled it since you were thirteen, much earlier than either of us."

"I don't know. I could actually feel how I did my spell, and it felt the same way as all the other times," Harry replies. "Do you have any ideas, Hermione?"

"Why are you asking _me_?"

"Because you are still the smartest of us all."

Hermione smiles, even though the matter is quite serious.

"Well, I don't know either. Sure, I have my suspicions, but I can't say if it is the actual reason."

"Well, what are your suspicions, then?" Ginny asks. Hermione sighs.

"Remember when Death said we would have our eleven year old bodies when we arrived here? My guess is that she really meant that part, and when we were eleven we were not used at all to using magic beyond accidental magic. That you could actually make that much was quite impressive."

"So, you are meaning that we are basically at square one with our magic?" Harry asks.

"Not exactly. We do have our knowledge, and these wands are really good. I guess the reason I managed to start that fire was because it was a very simple spell. Had I tried something like transforming things or conjuring something, it would have probably not worked."

"You know what that means, right? We will have to train with our magic every day," Ron says.

"Not much of a problem, I think," Ginny replies. "Though, we have been in this place for hours and we have yet to check the books Death gave us."

Hermione gasps, as if she cannot believe she has forgotten something so important, and picks up her bag to open it. Out of it falls a small book with white covers and simple lettering on the title, _All The Knowledge You Need_.

"That's... vague," Ron says, grabbing his book, _The Facts of War_. Harry's book being _The Spells You Will Require_ , and Ginny's _How To Find The Hidden Truths_.

"Yeah," Hermione replies, feeling a bit disappointed as she opens her book and starts to pass the pages... but then her face changes. "But it seems that these books are far more than what they look like. This here says how to make a lot of things that they might not have here. We could probably be able to make a few things for us without calling too much attention to us."

"And my book is going to be great," Harry says, grinning. "It has all those spells we never had a chance to learn. We will be able to make our own brooms and communication mirrors with the things they have in this world."

"I guess mine will not be useful yet," Ron states.

"There is going to be a conflict soon, at least that's what Death told us. You will be important in that. Looks like I'm going to be the spy in our little group," Ginny replies.

"You certainly fit the role. You were always too good at blackmailing us when we were younger," Ron says.

"It is quite late, guys," Harry indicates, looking out of the window. "How about we sleep and we continue this discussion tomorrow?"

"Sure, no problem," Hermione says.

Soon, the four children (yes, they were mentally more than a century old, but they were still children) fell asleep, and all of them dreamt of the future, of what it would hold for them and those people they had been sent to save.


	5. The First Year in Westeros

**The First Year In Westeros**

Their first year of their new life in Westeros was radically different to anything else they had done in their previous one, although Hermione would sometimes compare it to the time she, Ron and Harry had spent camping out in their Horcrux hunt. Still, it felt a lot better than the ugly months they spent trying to make a sense of what to do.  
  
That did not mean that they were not doing anything. Far from it: Lord Howland Reed had ensured that they were well trained in the art of fighting, both with a sword and with a lance. Even Hermione and Ginny trained with them, even though Hermione was not exactly one to fight melée - she was more of a distance fighter - and their instructors did not mince words about the unsuitability of their joining those lessons, but the girls were willing and able to act on it. Most afternoons were spent learning about Westeros, sometimes by Lord Reed himself, but most of the time by the same maester that taught Lord Reed's children. This meant having to memorize coats of arms, listen about the continent's history, its many wars and kings, Essos and its strange people, the creatures that lived all around the marshes in The Neck... it was a very long list of things, which Hermione, of course, managed to absorb like a sponge, while Harry, Ron and Ginny dealt with it by listening and taking notes on the hardest things.  
  
The other afternoons, and every night before going to sleep, the four of them practiced magic, in order to get their bodies used to magic once more, and train themselves back to standards. The way they figured it out, they might actually need their magic to combat the threat Westeros was going to meet, and if what had happened to Harry with his Patronus charm was a signal, they definitely needed the training. None of them had been able to find an actual explanation to the problem with Harry's Patronus, so they had taken Hermione's idea and run with it. Hermione had also suggested that it might be something related to the theory of a magical core, which was something no one had ever been able to prove back in their world. Ginny pointed out that it might have been because eleven-year-old children would not know such powerful spells as they did, and by the time they learned spells that required greater effort, their cores had expanded enough to do that. The fact that there were times were children got very tired after making large feats of accidental magic might fit with the idea, after all.  
  
Another thing they did was to read the books Death had given to them. As Hermione had discovered the first night, the books were bigger than they looked like, and had a lot of information that would be very useful in the future.  
  
Hermione's was the most varied, as it had information on things like the local plants and animals or how to make certain substances of great importance. Already, she had been making plans to introduce some of the things she had found in the book, although they would probably have to be on a small scale until she could actually be able to do it.  
  
Meanwhile, Harry's had hundreds of charms, several of which none of them knew or even had heard about, and they had taken to learn as many as possible. The ones they looked forward to practising the most were the ones used to make brooms, particularly Harry, Ginny and Ron: none of them had been able to get on a broom for more than thirty years, and they were itching to get back into action.  
  
Ron was also enjoying his book, because it called to his tactical and strategic mind, trained by many years of being an Auror and playing chess. There was a small part of the book that spoke about cyvasse, which was apparently a game similar to chess, using ten different pieces across a board that changed in every game, and Ron had learned how to play from Lord Reed himself.  
  
Finally, Ginny's book was the smallest, but it was the one with the most potential, as it taught her specialized charms and potions that she could employ in multiple uses, as well as protect herself and the others from poisons and other dangers. Lord Reed had mentioned a Lord Varys, an eunuch that was a famed and feared man all over Westeros for his ability to learn nearly every secret on what happened to anyone of importance in the continent, thanks to his spy network. In fact, it was quite possible that he had learned of their existence quite soon after their appearance, although Howland Reed was sure that there were none at all in Greywater Watch.  
  
That did not mean all the time was spent learning or working. No, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron also spent time with the children in Greywater Watch, particularly with Meera and Jojen Reed. Meera was a cheerful girl, able to find the good side on anything that might happen and to bring a smile out of anyone, even her brother, who Harry felt a kinship with, as the boy was far more mature than what was typical of a boy his age. Meera had told Hermione that Jojen had the greensight, which he had acquired after almost dying of greywater fever when he was six. The prophetic dreams were not common, but they tended to be close enough to reality that not even Hermione could say it was hogwash. Still, they were able to get Jojen to relax a bit and join their games, particularly when Harry got involved, because Jojen got on very well with him. Harry thought it might be because of their kindred spirits, as Harry had had to mature a bit too fast because of his time at the Dursleys, and then with Voldemort in the background.  
  
As time passed, and their abilities improvedwd - while not yet reaching the levels of a master in each of the arts they prosecuted, they could defend themselves if needed, and they would still have magic if all failed - the day approached that they would have to leave Greywater Watch for Winterfell, and all of them were of two minds about this. On one side, they knew they had to go north to fulfill their mission, but, on the other side, it meant having to leave behind the friends they had made, and the life they had got used to. Still, as Ron had said, they would be able to return, so it was not a 'goodbye', more of a 'see you later'.  
  
So, they prepared for the day. They readied their property and their books, they gazed upon the city's wonders, and awaited for Lord Reed to tell them it was their time to go.  
  
~~~~PiW~~~~PiW~~~~  
  
_To Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North_  
  
Greetings upon you and your kin, my Lord.   
  
I write you from Greywater Watch, the city of my ancestors, and mine own, to ask you for a favor.  
  
Recently, barely a year ago, I met with a group of children that had found their way to a clearing nearby the city, upon which place I had walked in while I followed something that bears little importance to this letter.  
  
Curiously, neither of the children were of my people, coming from another land, yet they knew of me, of my place here, and of my people and yours. Their story, unfortunately, is long, as well as not my secret to tell, but suffice to say, that, as unbelievable as it might sound like, there is no way it cannot be anything else but the truth.  
  
For the last year, these four children, all of them well-learned and able in many arts, have learned the use of the sword and the shield, the lance and the net, as well as sharing maester's lessons with my two children, in which they have also proven to be intelligent and capable.  
  
I feel like I should write about the children, for each of them is special, and hopefully it will play favorably in your answer.  
  
Harold of Potter, black hair and green eyes. While he may be just twelve namedays, he carries around him an aura of leadership I have seen in very few people, including yourself. When he speaks, everybody listen. He is obviously the one the other three look up to, and yet remains humble enough to accept advice from the others. A practical boy, he is fast on his feet, very capable with the sword and shield and can improvise a solution to most problems he encounters.  
  
Ginevra of Weasley, red hair and amber eyes. Betrothed to Harold. The fact that she is the shortest of them all does not mean much. She has an enthusiasm for life that shocks even my own daughter, Meera, and it also means she is the fastest to move out of them. She has also taken to the use of weapons very well, and although she remains well away from being a master in their use, she is on her way to do so.  
  
Ronald of Weasley, red hair and blue eyes. Ginevra's brother. As a contrast to her sister, he is the tallest of all, and even at his age it can be seen that he will be built much like King Robert was during the war. He is also a keen strategist for his age, not the least shown through his ability with cyvasse, which he has become a master of in a matter of a few months, as well as in the art of war. While I would not have him lead an army, he has the foundations to establish himself as one of the best commanders an army could have.  
  
Hermione of Granger, brown hair and eyes. Betrothed to Ronald. About the same size as Harold, she is the weakest in body out of all of the four. However, what she lacks in body - which is still enough to defend herself adequately, and to use a bow with accuracy - she makes up in mind. A prodigiously intelligent young young, she is capable of understanding any subject presented to her with barely an effort, probably much better than any maester I have ever met.  
  
The one favor I wish to ask of you, is that you host them for a time. There is more to this story, but it is not something to be put down on a letter. It has to be the children who tell you, as only then will you understand the importance of the situation.  
  
I await for your answer.  
  
Yours,  
Lord Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch.  
  
~~~~PiW~~~~PiW~~~~  
  
_To Lord Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch_  
  
Greetings upon you and your kin, my friend.  
  
It has been too much time since the last we saw each other, and perhaps it is time to think about changing this. Much time has passed since I last visited the Neck.  
  
Meanwhile, I must confess that I felt much intrigued by your petition. It is not uncommon for the lords of the North to ask me whether I'd be able to host their children, some of them perhaps because they wish to be able to have my children married to theirs, but it is the first time I have been asked by one to host children that are almost unknown.  
  
Four children that you first met near your city, and that were obviously not from your people, yet they knew about you, about Greywater Watch and our people? Allow me to say this, but it sounds like a tale for children. However, I know you to be a honest man, so I shall believe you unless I find proof that says otherwise.  
  
Upon your description of the children, particularly their names, I confess that I felt intrigued, for I have never heard of the houses of Potter, Weasley or Granger, not even in relation of the Riverlands, which might be where they are coming from, considering the Weasley siblings' red hair.   
  
I am not sure of whether it would be a good idea to do as you say, but I do wish to meet these children before committing myself to a choice. Please, send the children here to Winterfell, so that I may speak with them and decide whether I should actually host them in here or not. Perhaps talking with them will shed some light upon their identities, and this secret you say only them can tell.  
  
Yours,  
Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North.  
  
~~~~PiW~~~~PiW~~~~  
  
It dawned early the day they were to leave for Winterfell. Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron had already prepared their luggage to carry. Thanks to Harry's book and Hermione, they now sported four bags with undetectable expansion charms, which allowed them to carry most of their things without having to deal with their weight, as well as some equipment they had bought within Greywater Watch. Hermione had, thanks to her book, managed to make some potions with local plants, although they were not exactly useful, since the best of them just instantly healed injuries when directly applied. Still, they were useful for their purpose, and Hermione said that she might be able to do better later. Still, none of them could say that the time spent in Greywater Watch had been a loss of time. They would miss the friends they had made, but they had to continue with their task.  
  
"Do not forget about us, please," Meera Reed said as she hugged Ginny.  
  
"We will try to send you a raven, so do not worry," Ginny replied, returning the hug. When they broke away, Ginny jumped onto the horse Lord Reed had provided her with and gazed upon the people that had reunited there to say goodbye to them.  
  
"Are you sure you do not want an escort?" Lord Reed asked.  
  
"No need. Here in the north there are not that many threats, and we can defend ourselves quite well," Harry replied, subtly making reference to their magical abilities.  
  
"Then, I shall entertain you no more," Lord Reed said, nodding. "May the Gods be with you."  
  
"And they with you," Harry answered.  
  
And then, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione went on their way north, intent on carrying out the mission Death had trusted them with.


	6. On the Way North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron ride to Winterfell.

Their travel north was not uneventful. Of course, the fact that they were four children that had barely reached their two-and-ten nameday meant that they called for quite a bit of attention wherever they passed through.

For example, when they were barely two days out of Greywater Watch, and still in the Neck, they were attacked by an animal that looked like a crocodile, but according to Hermione's book, it was called a lizard-lion. As there was no one that could tell on them around, they were able to use magic, but it required some effort to do so, as the animal's tough skin provided it with some protection against individual Stunning Spells.

"What the hell is wrong with this place?" Ron asked. They were a few kilometers away from the point where they had fought the animal, and it was the first thing one of them said.

"Well, considering these long winters they apparently have in here from time to time, it is clear that the animals and plants would evolve in order to be able to survive such an environment," Hermione replied, still a bit white. That lizard-lion had first gone for her and the horse she was riding, _Maegar_. Harry could tell that the way she was speaking meant she was still in a bit of shock over the entire thing.

"Still... Merlin's sake, you can't say the entire place isn't messed up!" Ron replied, still angry.

"Yeah, we do know, Ron. No need to shout," Ginny replied. "Still, the sooner we get out of this place, the better I'll feel. This place feels nothing like home, even after a year at Greywater Watch."

"I think the same. Though, I wonder how Winterfell is," Harry said.

"Much larger than Greywater Watch. It is on top of some hot springs, so the castle at least is well warmed. It has a large town nearby the walls, called Winter Town, which is where people in the nearby towns live while it is winter," Hermione said.

"That's from your book?" Ginny asked.

"No, it's mostly what I learned from Lord Reed."

"Well, then, your book should have more than enough information to keep us entertained for the rest of the travel.”

And so, every night before they turned in - and after warding the place they were so that they were warned if someone approached with ill intentions - Hermione would pull her book out and instruct them on information about Winterfell and the Starks, the people they were expected to help protect.

The next bad surprise came a week into their travel. As they had left the swamps already, they had decided to walk for a bit next to their horses, sharing some memories and wondering what some of the people they knew would be doing if they came to this place. Suddenly, two arrows flew at them, nicking Harry's shoulder and hitting one of the horses on its side. The poor animal whinned and ran away, injured, while several men came out of a nearby forest and rushed at them.

"Well, look what we got here!" one of the men said. "Four children all alone. Bad, bad children. Oughta be punished for not obeying your mommies. What says you we do, Lyan?"

"Dunno, maybe we could kill the boys and keep the girls. That brown haired one looks pretty enough, and the red one will look even better in a few years, though.”

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had not remained unmoving after being attacked. As the men talked, the four of them had discreetly pulled out their wands, and Harry had healed his shoulder injury. They would have to use magic if they wanted to take the men out fast, for their ability to fight with swords would not be enough to make them back off, and they could always Obliviate them later.

“Why do you think you will be able to do anything?” Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, she's got guts,” one of the men said. “I like her already. Pity you'll be broken too soon, little girl.”

Ron laughed. “You obviously don't know my sister. I think she would break you before you could even begin to try,” he told them.

“I would not be so sure of that,” the same man said.

“Let's put that to test, shall we?” Hermione replied. “ _We fire Stunners at three, two, one_...” she said in English, and the four of them pointed their wands at the men.

“ _STUPEFY!_ ” they shouted, and red beams of light sprouted out of their wands and hit four of the men, who dropped to the floor, the ones hit by Hermione and Ginny even pushed back several feet, such was the strength of their attack. The last two men were stunned at the sudden attack that they did not even know it actually existed.

“What... how...” one of them managed to babble before Hermione and Ginny Stunned them as well. Those two were pushed even further than the others.

“What do we do with them?” Ron asked. “I would be all for bringing them to the nearest town, but people would realize something weird was going on.”

“Well, first thing, we have to modify their memories,” Harry replied. “Make them completely forget we were here, or maybe we could make them think some hedge knight managed to protect us.”

“Without injuring them?” Ginny said. “Besides, considering that there are no hedge knights in the North, no one would accept that excuse.”

“How about... we can say that we have an escort that prefers to follow us and never enter a town, and that he terrified these guys so much they fainted? That's actually believable, even if barely. And it makes them even more likelier to not realize the truth.”

“Much better. Pity we cannot make themselves pee on their pants. Would be even better,” Ron said.

“Don't be childish, Ronald,” Hermione chided him.

“Newsflash, Hermione. I _am_ a child,” Ron replied with a grin.

“You are one hundred and forty-six years old, so don't play that card on me.”

“Peace, guys,” Harry said before Ron could say anything else. “I know that you get off on these arguments, but we do have to deal with them.” He pointed at the Stunned bandits with his finger. “So, let's go.”

Harry passed between his friends and siblings in all but blood, and before she went to do what she had to, Hermione stuck her tongue at Ron, who raised his eyebrow at his future/past wife's hypocrisy.

The False Memory charm was, fortunately, one that only required some effort and concentration, as Lockhart had proved back on Earth: the vain man's only ability was in cosmetic charms and that one. They had only used it a couple of times, and when they had been seen by one maid or another as they used magic. They had hated having to do it, but it was necessary, lest any of them begin to tell tales about them. Fortunately, they had worked without harming the ladies.

Several hours later, they had found they reached a town where they told their fabricated story about six bandits that had fainted, scared when their escort – who preferred to stay outside of the town for some reason – appeared in front of them, and they had left them all tied down and ready to be picked up and face the King's Justice.

The rest of their travel north, they had a few encounters with merchants. All of them wondered why they were traveling alone, and they gave the same excuse of their escort preferring to stick to the shadows unless he was needed. That raised no few eyebrows, but they were undisturbed in regards to that matter from there.

Finally, three weeks after setting out of Greywater Watch, they finally saw their destination: Winterfell, the Capital of the North, the seat of House Stark, which they were bound to aid in their future struggle against the unknown enemy. It had some air to Hogwarts, even, and all of them felt that, maybe, here they could feel at home for the first time since they died.


	7. Meeting Lord Stark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally arriving to Winterfell, the Hogwarts crew meets with the man that will host them...

When they approached Winterfell, they saw that many people were coming in and out of the city, and many of them regarded them with looks of suspicion and curiosity: seeing four children coming by horse from the south, wearing fine clothes and carrying swords was certainly not a normal sight.

As they neared one of the gates, a guard wearing leather armor stopped.

“Halt.”

“Good morning,” Harry said, nodding his head.

“Who are you, and what brings you to Winterfell?”

“I am Harold, of House Potter,” Harry said, feeling uncomfortable at speaking of himself that way. “These are my betrothed, Ginevra of House Weasley, her brother, Ronald of House Weasley, and his betrothed, Hermione of House Granger. We have been sent here by Lord Howland Reed, of Greywater Watch, to speak with Lord Stark. I believe he knows we were coming.”

The guard's shock did register this time. Whether it was because of the strange house names, their claim of coming from the Neck, their claim of being here to speak with Lord Stark, that they were claiming Lord Stark knew of them, or any combination thereof, he knew not.

“Will you await here? I wish to make sure this is true,” the guard said, warily.

“Of course. There should be no problem if we dismount, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied, and all of them got off their horses while the guard sent a messenger to the Great Keep.

“Ugh, finally,” Ron said, stretching himself. “I'm in pain in places that I didn't know could be painful.”

“Nothing a bit of rest won't take care of, Ronald,” Ginny told her brother.

“Still painful. Now, what do you think of Winterfell?”

“Looks really old. Some of those walls could use a good repair job. Those towers as well, but place enough archers in them and you can make this place impossible to take by force,” Hermione said, analyzing what she could see of the capital of the North.

“It reminds me a bit of Hogwarts,” Harry whispered. “I don't know what, exactly, but it has this atmosphere that seems cold, yet homey.”

“Makes sense. Even if it is really cold, it looks very nice,” Ginny said.

“You think this is cold, young lady? Just wait until autumn begins!” the guard said, and people around them started to laugh aloud.

“Holy shit, this is supposed to be summer?” Ron whispered, somewhat horrified.

“Looks like. Death did tell us that the seasons lasted a lot more than back home, but this is exaggerated.”

“It is our home now. We best get used to it.”

They only had to wait for a few moments before the man that had been sent by the guard up to the keep returned, and the guard and him talked for a few moments. The former was a bit surprised by what he was hearing, and finally nodded.

“My young lords and ladies, Lord Stark has requested your presence in the Keep. Please, come with me, I shall guide you there,” the messenger said.

“Thank you,” Harry replied, and he grabbed his horse's reins to pull him forward. Next to him, his family did the same, and after waving to the gate guard, the four of them followed the messenger, walking as they took on every detail they could about the interior of the city.

The best way to define the castle was _impressive_. While there were bigger castles back on Earth, and they had heard that, south to them, there were many imposing, perhaps bigger, castles, Winterfell had this ancient, powerful look to it that Harry had been quite right in comparing to Hogwarts. Actually, it spoke of an age even older than Hogwarts. While the old school had stood for nearly a thousand years by the time they had attended it, Winterfell was at least six times that old, perhaps more. Sure, as Hermione had mentioned, the place needed some repairing, but it clearly stood proud against the vicissitudes of history.

And their people clearly showed it. They may not seem as well-fed as one would have been in Hogwarts, but all of them showed strength of body, and several did of mind. It was obvious that Lord Stark was what one may call a good Lord, as Howland Reed had said.

With everyone looking at them – something they were used to, what with their fame back in the Magical World – some suspiciously, most curiously, the small group arrived to the castle – the Keep – and entered a courtyard.

“You may leave your horses here, we will take them to the stables,” a boy said, apparently ready for this task.

“Sure,” Ginny replied, grabbing her things and letting another boy grab the reins.

“Follow me,” the messenger told them, and soon they were in a hall. It was quite big, probably about a third to a half of Hogwarts' Great Hall, but big enough to hold this meeting. There, at the end of the room, was a man. Between thirty and forty years old, wearing thick tan hides over black shirt and breeches, and with a greatsword at his side, which Harry knew was the fabled Ice, made of Valyrian steel.

"Lord Stark, here are the four children you asked for," the messenger said.

"Thank you, Ben. You may return to your post."

The messenger bowed, and left the place, leaving them alone with Lord Stark and the older man.

"Please, come here, all of you, so that you may share our bread and salt. Then, we can begin talking."

"Thank you, Lord Stark," Harry said, and the four of them stepped forward to take the offered items, which they ate, thus invoking guest rights. That was something very strange, that they had a ceremony and that, after it, whoever offered you that, was bound to protect you. Still, it was good to know that it happened at all.

"There is no need for you to present yourselves, as I know your names, and I am not a person to dawdle, so I will go straight to the issue at hand. I have decided it would be better to meet you alone so that you can tell the truth without other people listening. What makes the four of you so important that my friend, Howland Reed, has asked me to host you in Winterfell, and that he was unable to tell me the truth on a letter?"

Harry looked at Lord Stark, cautious, before answering.

"I am sure you are aware of the existence of greenseers among Howland Reed's people," he said.

"Yes, I am," Lord Stark said, looking interested and cautious at the same time.

"Well, about a year ago, Lord Reed was warned by one such a greenseer about a stag, a dog, a horse and an otter that would protect the wolf from the damage others would do. As he pondered this, he found the four of us near Greywater Watch, and some things we did proved to him that we were the four animals mentioned by the greenseer. We remained with him for a time, learning everything we could about Westeros, and some time after you replied to his message, we came this way."

"And how, exactly, did he know that you were the people he was looking for?"

"Lord Stark, I would like to ask you one thing. Are you willing to keep what we are about to tell you secret? The nature of this knowledge is such that only people that we trust to not tell this secret should be allowed to know."

"If I consider it important, then I swear to maintain this knowledge secret. Otherwise, we will see."

"Fair enough," Harry said, wishing he could do the _Muffliato_ charm without calling attention to himself. "My Lord, my friends and I come from a world where magic can be done by those with the born ability to use it. We were sent here because there is a threat against you and your people, and we intend to help protect you to the best of our ability.”

Lord Stark's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow. It seemed that little could surprise him so much that it showed outwardly.

Time to change that, Harry told himself.

“That is quite curious, for, as far as I know, magic disappeared with the dragons, more than two centuries ago,” Lord Stark said. “I have, however, heard of legends about people that can control animals at their own will, the greenseers, and many more things. What is, then, that you can do with your magic?”

Harry pulled out his wand, and once more prepared himself for showing off one of the most spectacular charms in his repertoire. Unlike the time he tried it in front of Howland Reed, this time he was sure he would be fully successful.

“ _Expecto Patronum_.”

The silver smoke that poured out of his wand took the form of Prongs, which, proud and regal, walked about the hall with few care for what else was going on around. This time, Harry was sure that he had surprised Lord Stark, who had stood up.

“Gods...” Lord Stark whispered, approaching the silver stag with care, and Harry commanded the stag to approach the Lord. When he tried to touch the stag, though, it became silver smoke again, before dissipating as Harry lifted the spell. “How did... what was that?”

“That, my Lord, was a Patronus, a sort of guardian invoked from your happiest memories, used to fight a spirit from our world called Dementor,” Harry explained. “It normally acquires a form that is in touch with your inner self, your memories and your experiences. Mine is a stag, because my father had the ability to become that animal.”

“Is your father... related to the Baratheons, per chance?” Lord Stark asked. Harry shook his head.

“No. When I said that we are from other world, I actually meant it. In the world where we all lived in, I was a hundred and sixty years old, Ginevra had been dead for six and Ronald and Hermione for five. Death – what those who worship the Seven might call the Stranger – asked us to come to Westeros to aid you and your people.”

“Unbelievable,” Lord Stark said. “But it must be true. I guess your companions can do similar things. What other things can you actually do?”

Harry let Hermione do the talking now.

“We can do many things. We can point our wands at a table and make it dance on two legs. We can transform a tree log into a metal sword. We can make someone faint without touching them. We can become invisible. We can use magic on brooms so that we can fly. We can actually move long distances in the blink of an eye.”

As Hermione rattled the long list of things they could do – and left many more in the inkwell – he could see that Lord Stark was feeling quite shocked at the many ways they could mold their magical ability into.

“All of that? Just with a few words and hand waves?” Lord Stark asked.

“Aye, my Lord.”

The place was silent for a few moments, before Lord Stark spoke up again.

“What is the threat that looms upon my family, Potter?”

“I fear I do not know, my Lord. At least, not now. But, if you will allow us four to remain here, we will be able to discover what is the truth.”

Lord Stark clearly felt somewhat reluctant, but he slowly nodded. "As much as I would like that this is not true, I know that I cannot afford ignoring a possible threat against my family. You may stay here, but there are several things I wish to ask of you."

"We are listening," Ron said.

"Very well. If you are to stay here, then you will have to live with us. You would have to attend the classes with the Septa and Maester Luwin along with my children. I hope you are not opposed to that?"

They all shook their heads.

"Good. Now, you must never tell any person in here about this danger we may suffer. I do not wish to see them distressed over something that may not happen in the end. And, please, try to keep your magic in as much of a secret as you can. If it is to be revealed, better that it happens only if it is required."

"That was our intention as well. The less people that know we can do magic, the better we will be able to protect you."

Lord Stark smiled. "I am quite surprised that your wishes and mine coincide so well. I am glad of that. I would also ask you to aid my children in the years to come. They will probably feel quite foreign to you, if you are indeed as old as you say, but each and every of them could certainly use with someone else that can set an example for them. And if it is people that can be their friends… I am sure they would like that."

"We would be happy to aid your children," Ginny butted in.

"Thank you. I truly hope this danger you spoke of never comes to pass, but I feel that, whether it happens or not, I will be glad that you have come here. You may have to swear an oath of allegiance to House Stark if you are to stay here, but you may consider yourselves welcome to Winterfell."

Harry bowed, and so did Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "We thank you for your hospitality, Lord Stark."

"Good. I will ask the servants to prepare rooms for the four of you, and in the meantime I will send for my family.” Lord Stark walked to the door and spoke with one of the guards at the other side for a few moments, before returning. “They should be here soon. Now, one last thing to do is to determine what we will tell everyone else. As much as it pains me to lie to my family, we will need to do this if we are to keep what you have told me secret.”

Harry nodded, glad to hear that. The less danger to him, his friends and the Starks, the best.


	8. Meeting the Starks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking with Lord Stark, it is time to meet his family...

While they waited for the Starks to come, the four told Lord Stark about what they had been doing since they arrived to Westeros. Lord Stark had been surprised to hear that they had traveled from Greywater Watch to Winterfell without an escort, but that had been mitigated by his reaction when they told him about the four men that had assaulted them.

"That was a great risk you took. Not to mention the fact that you left them unattended at the road. Yes, you left them tied and warned the nearest town, but they could have escaped, or they could have had partners."

"What did you expect us to do, My Lord? Our excuse for why our escort would never come into the towns was quite thin, and we are not ones to kill defenseless people," Hermione argued.

"You call a group of men that threatened to kill you, and actually injured one of you, 'defenseless'?" Lord Stark asked, skeptically.

"We do if they are already out of combat," Harry interjected. "We did not want to administer justice on our own, and we had no actual of bringing them to the nearest town without calling undue attention."

"Hmm. I fear you may have called attention to yourselves anyway. Either way, it is too late."

Harry would have said something, but then someone knocked on the door.

"My Lord? Lady Catelyn and your children are here, as well as Maester Luwin," a brown-haired young man said from the door.

"Thank you, William," Lord Stark said. "Let them come in."

The doors opened, and a group of five children, surrounding a woman that could be in her thirties, carrying a toddler in her arms, and a small man with grey hair and dressed in grey robes.

Harry heard Hermione gasp in surprise, and Harry could easily tell why: the woman - Lady Catelyn, if he was not mistaken - bore an amazing physical similarity to Hermione's mother, save for her auburn hair, something that had, apparently, been inherited by most of her children, save for the younger girl.

"Is there a problem, Hermione?" Lord Stark asked.

"No, it's just… she looks a lot like someone I know."

"Very well. Now, I think it is time I present you to my family. This is my lady wife, Catelyn; Winterfell's maester, Luwin; my eldest son and heir, Robb; my daughters Sansa and Arya, and my two youngest, Brandon and Rickon," Lord Stark says, pointing at his children in order. "Where are Jon and Theon?"

"They wanted to ask Rodrik about some of the moves he was teaching us this morning," Robb says.

"I would swear I called for everyone in the family to come here."

"Theon is a hostage, Eddard," Lady Catelyn answered, "no matter that you try to treat him as part of the family, and Jon…" Here, her face turned sour, and Harry was reminded of Narcissa Malfoy for a second.

"Catelyn…" Lord Stark said with a warning tone. It appeared that this 'Jon' was a sore subject between the two of them. He then turned to Harry. "Theon Greyjoy is our ward, ever since Greyjoy Rebellion, and Jon… he is of my blood."

"He is your bastard son, Eddard," Lady Catelyn said, putting a bit of poison in her voice.

"Mother!" the young girl, Arya, complained.

"Catelyn, please," Eddard said at the same time as his wife, in a tone that indicated finality. Harry knew why it was such a painful affair for them: Eddard and Catelyn had married during the war against Aerys the Mad, and their son Robb had been conceived in their first night together before Eddard continued his war against the loyalists. When he returned, a year later, it was with Jon on his arms. That had put a rift between Eddard and Catelyn: she had asked that Eddard send Jon elsewhere, and about Jon's mother's identity, but Eddard had not complied with her demands, and it took them several months to heal that rift.

The four of them, though, knew the truth – Death had told them that Jon was actually Lyanna Stark's son with Rhaegar Targaryen, and Eddard and Howland Reed were the only ones that knew the truth (until their arrival) in the entire planet. Eddard had promised his sister that he would always protect Jon. And, to Eddard Stark, promises ranked higher than his own honor. So, he had never told his wife the truth, preferring to be seen as an adulterer rather than risking the chance that Jon's true paternity could be known, leading to his potential assassination under orders of either the King or Tywin Lannister.

"You will be able to meet them later, I guess. Now, these are Harold Potter, Ginevra and Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger."

"Strange family names," Lady Catelyn answered. “None of them names that I know of. You look like a Baratheon, you like a Tyrell, and the two of you, I would claim you were of my family,” she said, looking at Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron. “Where are you from, exactly?”

“We come from the Neck, Lady Catelyn. At the request of Lord Reed, your lord husband agreed to meet with us, and then decide whether we would be allowed to foster here,” Hermione said.

“And I am willing to provide fostering for you four, without a problem,” Lord Stark said. “Of course, just as long as you understand what being fostered here means. While I do not expect you four to fully follow our customs, I do wish for you to attempt to understand them. Do you agree with that?”

“Yes, we do,” Harry said.

“I am glad to hear that. Now, Luwin, would you be kind enough to show our guest to our rooms? And then, since you have finished your lessons for the day, Robb, would you and your siblings be willing to show them around?”

“Of course, father,” Robb answered.

“Yes, my Lord. Please, follow me,” the ancient maester replied.

The four magicians followed the kind old man, and on the way they spoke with the four children – Rickon staying behind with his parents – wanting to know them all much better, as they were going to be living with them.

Meanwhile, Catelyn stood behind with her husband.

“What do you really know about them, Ned? Not that I do not trust Lord Reed, but, still, these children do not even look like they are from around here.”

Eddard understood his lady wife's concern. After all, he would be equally suspicious if it were him in his wife's situation.

“There is more to them than what it seems, yes,” he told her. “But I can tell that they are all good children. They might actually become important for us.”

“What do you mean? Do you think they are...”

“No, no, no. They are betrothed to each other, actually,” Eddard replied, easily understanding what Catelyn believed. “No, they have warned me that something bad might happen to us and the kingdom, and that they are here to prevent it.”

“What? What bad thing?”

“They know not, or at least they did not tell me what it was. But I can only hope that, if something happens, they will be able to stop it.”

“There is nothing we can do, then.”

“Yes, there is. We can prepare ourselves. We can prepare our children. And we can also prepare our people. I know not when this danger will arrive, but every thing we can do to help may be the one thing that helps us later.”


	9. The time until the Game of Thrones begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip, as Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron live in Winterfell and forge friendships with the Stark children.

Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron had learned that they had arrived on the year 294 after Aegon's Conquest, putting them on the same physical age as Robb Stark and Jon Snow. As such, they joined the classes that Lord Stark had arranged for his own children. Results were… mixed, so to speak. While Harry and Ron were taught by Maester Luwin about the tasks of a noble lord, the local history and many other matters, Hermione and Ginny were asked to stay with Septa Mordane for her lessons to Sansa and Arya.

Neither of them liked the idea of only learning the "gentle arts": Hermione, because, even more than a century after leaving school, knew she was smart enough to deal with any subject she applied herself to, and Ginny because she chafed under misoginy, whether perceived or real. Both of them asked Lord Stark to be allowed to attend lessons with the boys - Ginny would have probably just stopped going to Septa Mordane's lessons, but Hermione had pointed out that, as, at the eyes of everyone else, they were being fostered by Eddard Stark, not doing as he ordered would call too much attention - but the Lord gently denied their request, pointing that the skills taught by Septa Mordane would be useful if they ended up in court.

In the end, Harry and Ron decided to show Hermione and Ginny anything Maester Luwin taught that they did not know yet. With time, Hermione and Ginny would also take their time to teach Arya, Sansa whenever she wanted to learn something new - more common as months passed by - and even Bran.

Another thing the boys also worked on was on learning how to fight from Rodrik Cassel. While their earlier lessons from the crannogmen had been good enough, it was quite obvious that Rodrik knew what he had to do to teach boys in the art of using sword and shield. The two of them loved the training they went through, as it was something they had never done back in their own world. Even their Auror training was not as exhaustive as this. But, perhaps it was because they were much younger than when they were training for becoming Aurors.

Once again, it was something denied to the girls. After much insistence, on their fifth month, Rodrik had allowed Ginny to fight him, probably expecting that it would put her off the idea of taking up a sword. Although he had won, Ginny had surprised him with her nimbleness and speed, almost getting close to hitting him in a couple of ocassions with the training sword Rodrik had given her before he parried her attacks. In the end, while he still was not willing to allow her to train together with the boys, he did have no problem in answering any questions she might have and correcting her moves if she showed them to him, an agreement that soon expanded to Hermione.

This turned Ginny into seven-namedays Arya's personal heroine. The young girl, who had never felt comfortable with the role her mother was trying to push her into, had become Ginny's shadow, trying to learn everything she could teach her. Ginny – while dealing with Harry's jokes on her now seeing things from the other side – welcomed the girl, and took to teach her a few things about defending herself, including some moves with a dirk she had asked Mikken to make her. While Arya disliked not being allowed to keep the dirk, Ginny was able to convince her that it was not a good idea.

Meanwhile, Hermione had managed to connect with Sansa. Ironically, despite the fact that Sansa was a dreamer and Hermione had always been one to set things to logic, she could almost see herself in the eldest Stark daughter. The willingness to believe that books held the truth, and that authority figures were always right, was an attitude Hermione had learned to ignore thanks to her friendship with Harry and Ron. As such, she tried to slowly break her out of that mindset, knowing that the real world was a lot worse than what the girl believed, and that she would suffer more if she were to find it on worse circumstances.

Ron had become good friends with both Robb and Theon. Even though the eldest boy was not exactly a role model, when he wanted to he could be very nice to those surrounding him. Ron could also understand, at least in part, what drove Theon Greyjoy: as a stranger to the Stark family, he did not know how exactly he could fit in, and he tried to hide his discomfort behind his cocky and somewhat brazen behavior. It was the same and, at the same time, the opposite to how Percy behaved. There was little that could be done, but to attempt to include him in any activities they carried out. As for Robb, Ron liked him because he was similar to himself: straightforward, good with his head but preferring to use brawn. Any that visited Winterfell might actually believe they were cousins.

In contrast, Harry got on best with Jon Snow and Bran Stark. Just like Ron thought he was similar to Robb, Harry saw himself in Jon, particularly his attitude and his willingness to help his cousins, as well as his slight grimness, which he tried to break him out of, bringing him into as many activities as possible. Bran, meanwhile, was energetic, funny and always liked to be doing things, which reminded him of his son James. He had some fun at watching Bran learning how to climb on his own, much to the bad health of his mother, who was always trying to get him to stop risking his neck. Harry would always cast a subtle charm to make sure that, were he to fall, he would not harm himself, but so far it had not been put up to test.

Rickon, being the youngest Stark, did not have a favorite, and it took some time for him to warm up to them, but eventually he started to go from person to person with apparent randomness. Just like a little sibling who likes to be always under foot, he might be asking Hermione to tell him a tale at one point, or run to Harry and ask him to show how he moved with the sword. That, of course, was when he was not with his mother or doing something else.

Lady Stark, on her part, was quite glad that her reluctance to allow the four children to remain at Winterfell had proved unfounded. Not only were they not a load, but they were also helping her with the children, something she always welcomed. Also, seeing that the fights between Arya and Sansa were becoming smaller in number and intensity was, too, a welcome sight, even if she still dispaired of managing to get Arya to behave like a lady. Eddard had said many times that Arya had the “blood of the wolf” in her, same as his sister Lyanna, and that trying to force Arya into the “lady” role would not fit well with her. Still, she held hope that Arya would eventually calm down.

Meanwhile, Lord Stark was quite busy himself, trying to improve Winterfell and the North as much as he could in order to face the danger the children from another world had warned him about. Had they come when he became the Lord of Winterfell, eleven years before, he was sure that he would have been able to do a lot more, like fortifying Moat Cailin, making new towns, improve the Kingsroad or creating a true navy, like the one that existed before Brandon the Shipwright left for the west and his son Brandon the Burner destroyed what was left behind. As it was, making a navy was possible, but its extension would be limited to what the White Harbor's shipyards would be able to do. The only thing he could make completely sure of was to organize the reconstruction of the Winterfell walls, something in which everyone pitched in. And, during the nights, when he was sure no one would be looking, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny would cast something called 'wards' on the stones, which, according to them, would make them more resistant to attacks and to attackers' attempts to scale the walls.

The form the crisis would take, he did not know.

But then, a message came from King's Landing, from his good friend, King Robert Baratheon.

Jon Arryn, the man that had fostered them both, was dead, and now he was coming north to meet him.

And, suddenly, he knew that there was more to this event than what it looked in the surface.


End file.
